


Don't Wanna Be Without You

by Inkblot



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 07:09:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkblot/pseuds/Inkblot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danielle is gone. Liam breaks. Niall is there to put the pieces back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Wanna Be Without You

**Author's Note:**

> Niam if you tilt your head and squint. Written with Moments on replay. I hope you like! XX

He’s in his room watching some inane show when he hears a faint knock at the door.

“Who is it?” he calls, turning down the TV and getting up.

“Niall?” Something about the shaky voice on the other side of the door freezes him on his way towards it.

Seconds pass.

“Niall?”

Who ever it is sounds close to tears and Niall realizes why his eyes have suddenly gone so wide.

It was Liam. Liam, who was normally so implacable and calm it was almost scary. Liam, with the reassuring words and comforting smile. It was Liam who was on the verge of sobbing, standing on the other side of Niall Horan’s door.

He rushes to it, flinging it open and taking in the sight of his band mate. Liam stood, head bowed, hands pressed firmly to his sides. His eyes are rimmed with red and he looks so devastated that Niall’s heart hurts.

“Liam! What is it? What’s wrong?”

Quickly ushering the other boy inside, Niall pushes the hotel door closed, keeping out any prying eyes.

The slightly older boy stands in the middle of the room, looking so lost and lonely with his downcast eyes and defeated posture. He takes in a breath, opens his mouth to begin—and no sound comes out. Swallowing audibly, he tries again, but there is only silence.

“Li? What is it, babe? You know you can tell me.” Niall says, touching Liam gently on the shoulder and becoming more and more concerned as the seconds pass.

“It’s dani,” he finally manages to croak. “she broke up with me. She-she said…”

And Niall knows what’s about to happen, just milliseconds before it begins. Liam’s breath hitches, his bottom lip trembles. His face crumbles in on itself, making him look older and more defeated than Niall had ever wanted to see. Liam’s voice fails him, his words trailing away and mouth open in a parody of what would have been if his heart hadn’t been ripped out of his chest.

Niall’s warmth wraps around the taller boy as he dissolves into tears, crumpling in on himself. His body shakes with the force of his breaths, clinging hopelessly, desperately onto the boy whose strength was enough to withstand the flood.

“Oh, Li, I’m so, so sorry…Liam…”

Niall gently maneuvers the two of them so they are sitting on the bed, unable to process what is happening. Liam is half sitting on his legs, and he knows his circulation will be shot to hell very soon, but he couldn’t have ever cared less. The older boy’s face is buried in Niall’s baggy sweatshirt, breath coming in sharp, gulping sobs. His hands are clutching at handfuls of the fabric that smelled so familiar and comforting, clinging to the smaller boy, silently begging him never to let go. Niall keeps his arms wrapped around him, rubbing comforting circles on his back.

“She’s gone, Ni. I just know…it’s all over…never again…” Liam’s words are broken, incoherent as he cries, body trembling. But Niall understands.

He’s never wanted to hurt anyone quite so badly before. No one, absolutely no one, had the right to ever make Liam Payn cry like this. Rationally, he knew Danielle was a good, level-headed person and that she must’ve had a pretty damn good reason to let someone like Liam go,, but he’s far too upset to consider this now. All five of them have seen each other cry before; hell, they spend every waking moment together and Niall loves it, loves the fact that he could tell them absolutely everything. They’re all just shameless open books, able to read each other’s emotions at a glance. They know that they’ve all had breakdowns before, just when they think no one else can hear them, when the pressure becomes just too much. But the pain in Liam’s eyes is something completely knew to Niall. It’s such a raw, broken and jagged look that his own eyes begin to burn. He resists, shoving the tears away ruthlessly. You prick, he tells himself. You can’t cry now. It’s not right.

Niall can’t even begin to imagine what Liam’s going through. He knows, just as the other three do, that Liam is properly in love with Danielle. It was plainly obvious in the look in his brown eyes when he looked at her, the small touches and gestures, the way he smiled-and now, Niall wasn’t sure they’d see that smile again for a long while.

He murmurs nonsensical words in Liam’s ear, rocking them back and forth and squeezing him tight-for Liam’s sake, he tells himself. The other boy’s sobs are tapering off now, breath hitching occasionally and ghosting against Niall’s neck.

“Ok, Liam?” Niall whispers as he quietens.  
Liam nods, not relinquishing his grip on Niall, who reaches over to the bedstand and extracts a few tissues from the box.

Gently tilting Liam’s head back with one hand, Niall tenderly wipes the tears and snot away, dabbing carefully at his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ni,” he whispers brokenly, staring at the wet patch on the other lad’s shoulder.

“No worries, mate. Don’t you dare apologize for anything.” Niall replies in his Irish lilt, taking in the exhausted look that was now entering Liam’s eyes. Niall never lets go as he brings them both to a standing position, never lets go when he has to pull down the bedcovers—even while his arm is bent at an awkward angle—and never, ever lets go as he slides them both into bed, pulling Liam impossibly closer and wrapping both arms around him in such a secure, gentle hold that it threatens to bring another set of tears to Liam’s eyes.


End file.
